2016 comes to an end – welcome 2017!

As we all try to slow down to enjoy a few quiet moments in the company of our loved ones, thinking about what happened this year and planning on what we wish to do for 2017, it is a great opportunity to simply meditate and reflect on our own actions and what can we personally do to make the difference in our lives and the lives of others. It is so common that we get lost in the day-to-day pressures, deadlines, worries, excessive work, travel, and eternal use of the cell phone. We often forget to look at today, to realize what we have, who is next to us, how fortunate we are to have health, to be alive, to have our loved ones close. We forget to appreciate and cherish what is there.

Available with hindsight, our reflections can only give us memories, those that build over the weeks, months and years, and we look back and understand that we let those precious times go by without knowing it.

I read a few articles about the state of boxing and was shocked to read some idiotic remarks stating that “Boxing is dying,” mostly claiming that pay-per-view was down and probably out. For all those who have such a limited vision of the sport, there are some incredible facts that prove how great boxing is, and what transpired in 2016 has set the tone for a memorable 2017:

2017 starts with a BANG! On January 14, WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack will unify with IBF champion James DeGale.

January 28 will feature sensational cards in Las Vegas as Richard Schaefer returns to action with an incredible doubleheader with Mikey Garcia trying to conquer the WBC lightweight title against champion Dejan Zlaticanin, and Leo Santa Cruz tries to avenge his only loss in the highly-anticipated rematch against Carl Frampton in a fight where the WBC Diamond belt will be awarded to the winner.

Also on January 28, Golden Boy Promotions will also feature a tremendous card in Los Angeles, as WBC super featherweight champion Francisco Vargas, who has won the honors of “Fight of the Year” in 2015 and 2016, battles Mexican rival Miguel Berchelt, and former champion Takashi Miura fights Mickey Roman, with the winners of both bouts to meet during the summer.

January 28 will also have the pound-for-pound queen of women’s boxing, Cecilia Braekus, defending her WBC mandatory vs. Klara Svenson in a co-promotion of K2 and Saerland Event in Norway.

February will see the return of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

As 2016 settles into the history books and we all gear up for 2017, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my beloved wife, Christiane, as she has been my partner and taken care of the so many difficult tasks that a family must face; to my mother, for her unconditional support with her sweet smile and always wise and comforting advise; to my brother Hector, who has taken the lead of running our family business and factory with my sisters, Lucy and Claudia; to my brother Fernando, who has been there to support many of the programs that we have launched in this process; and to my “boss” Pepe, who runs the WBC Los Angeles office, getting to experience the lives of the boxers and making so many friends in the world of boxing. This is my beautiful family, all together in harmony to celebrate Christmas .